totemic: Dictionary.com Word of the Day

Suggest tomorrow's Word of the Day Share your ideas on Twitter http://twitter.com/dictionarycom
Word of the Day for Friday, January 21, 2011 totemic \toh-TEM-ik\, adjective: 1. Pertaining to an object or natural phenomenon with which a family or group considers itself closely related. 2. Relating to a representation of such an object serving as the distinctive mark of the clan or group. It's as totemic to me as Don's black hat was to my baby daughter. -- Jonathan Stone, Monkeys on My Back: Three Unpublished(unpublishable?) Novels (Oh, and a Novella) A convict's personal possessions - few in number, weighted with significance-took on a totemic quality, and Doug had, over time, winnowed his meaningful totems down to exactly one. -- Chuck Hogan, Prince of Thieves: A Novel Totemic derives from the Algonquian (probably Ojibwa) odoodeman, "his sibling kin, his group or family," hence, "his family mark." Read the full entry | See synonyms | Comment on today's word | Suggest tomorrow's word Yesterday's word | Previous words | Help
Words of the Day? How about words of timeless wisdom? Introducing our Quotes channel! "Life itself is a quotation." - Jorge Luis Borges Check out the Quote of the Day ››
American "Idol?" Hmm . . . Learn why the traditional definition of "idol" is offensive to some religions When most of us hear the word "idol," in our mind's eye we see a triumphant David Cook or Carrie Underwood belting their hearts out. And while the "idol" in "American Idol," has connotations of success and inspiration, the dictionary tells us that the meaning of the word is more complicated. An idol is a venerated man-made... Read more ››
Dictionary.com Word of the Day http://www.dictionary.com/wordoftheday/ You are currently subscribed to Dictionary.com Word of the Day as: anujshailgupt@gmail.com Unsubscribe To subscribe to Word of the Day by email, please send a blank message to: join-wordoftheday@lists.lexico.com ©2011 by Dictionary.com, LLC. 555 12th Street Suite 500 Oakland CA 94607 Subscriptions to The Word of the Day can be turned on and off via the Web at http://www.dictionary.com/help/faq/wordoftheday/   Tell a friend about The Word of the Day!

grangerize: Dictionary.com Word of the Day

Get Dictionary.com's Word of the Day FREE on your mobile Text WDAY to 44636 SMS std. msg. rates apply
Word of the Day for Thursday, January 20, 2011 grangerize \GRYEN-juh-rahyz\, verb: 1. To add to the visual content of a book by inserting images not included in the original volume, often by mutilating other books. 2. To mutilate books in order to get illustrative material for such a purpose. He looked up from his reading, "An Illustrated History of Sparta," which he proceeded to grangerize. -- Roger Rosenblatt, Beet: A Novel If, however, Mr. Lindsay is determined to grangerize his collections, I would suggest that before he does so he should examine the illustrated Clarendon in the Bodleian Library which has the character for being the most magnificent grangerized book in existence. -- William White, "Regimental Messes," Notes and queries, Volume 82, 1890. Grangerize is named after James Granger (1723-1776), an English clergyman whose "Biographical History of England" (1769) included areas for additional illustrations. Read the full entry | See synonyms | Comment on today's word | Suggest tomorrow's word Yesterday's word | Previous words | Help
Words of the Day? How about words of timeless wisdom? Introducing our Quotes channel! "Life itself is a quotation." - Jorge Luis Borges Check out the Quote of the Day ››
American "Idol?" Hmm . . . Learn why the traditional definition of "idol" is offensive to some religions When most of us hear the word "idol," in our mind's eye we see a triumphant David Cook or Carrie Underwood belting their hearts out. And while the "idol" in "American Idol," has connotations of success and inspiration, the dictionary tells us that the meaning of the word is more complicated. An idol is a venerated man-made... Read more ››
Dictionary.com Word of the Day http://www.dictionary.com/wordoftheday/ You are currently subscribed to Dictionary.com Word of the Day as: anujshailgupt@gmail.com Unsubscribe To subscribe to Word of the Day by email, please send a blank message to: join-wordoftheday@lists.lexico.com ©2011 by Dictionary.com, LLC. 555 12th Street Suite 500 Oakland CA 94607 Subscriptions to The Word of the Day can be turned on and off via the Web at http://www.dictionary.com/help/faq/wordoftheday/   Tell a friend about The Word of the Day!

fain: Dictionary.com Word of the Day

Suggest tomorrow's Word of the Day Share your ideas on Twitter http://twitter.com/dictionarycom
Word of the Day for Wednesday, January 19, 2011 fain \FEYN\, adverb: 1. Gladly; willingly. adjective: 1. Content; willing. 2. Archaic: Constrained; obliged. 3. Archaic: Desirous; eager. I saw Mark Antony offer him a crown; - yet 'twas not a crown neither, 'twas one of these coronets; - and, as I told you, he put it by once: but, for all that, to my thinking, he would fain have had it. -- William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar He would fain have ridden day and night, and grudged every halt for refreshment, so as almost to run the risk of making the men mutinous. -- Charlotte M. Yonge, A Chaplet of Pearls Fain has ancient roots in the Old English fæg, "happy." Read the full entry | See synonyms | Comment on today's word | Suggest tomorrow's word Yesterday's word | Previous words | Help
Words of the Day? How about words of timeless wisdom? Introducing our Quotes channel! "Life itself is a quotation." - Jorge Luis Borges Check out the Quote of the Day ››
"Grande," "Venti," now "Trenta." What do Starbucks sizes literally mean? When you reflect on all the symbols, gestures, and phrases that bombard your everyday existence, you may find a panoply of simple words that are missing a definition. Case in point: How many times have you or a friend said "I'd like a Venti latte" without pausing to consider what Venti actually means? The inspiration for this... Read more ››
Dictionary.com Word of the Day http://www.dictionary.com/wordoftheday/ You are currently subscribed to Dictionary.com Word of the Day as: anujshailgupt@gmail.com Unsubscribe To subscribe to Word of the Day by email, please send a blank message to: join-wordoftheday@lists.lexico.com ©2011 by Dictionary.com, LLC. 555 12th Street Suite 500 Oakland CA 94607 Subscriptions to The Word of the Day can be turned on and off via the Web at http://www.dictionary.com/help/faq/wordoftheday/   Tell a friend about The Word of the Day!

concupiscible: Dictionary.com Word of the Day

Have an iPhone or iPod touch? Leave that heavy book on the shelf. Get Dictionary.com's app
Word of the Day for Tuesday, January 18, 2011 concupiscible \kon-KYOO-pi-suh-buhl\, adjective: Worthy of being desired. And possibly, gentle reader, with such a temptation - so would'st thou; for never did thy eyes behold, or thy concupiscence covet anything in this world, more concupiscible than widow Wadman. -- Laurence Sterne, The life and opinions of Tristram Shandy, Volume 2 The serpent is the senses and our nature, the Eve is the concupiscible appetite, and the Adam is the reason. -- Blaise Pascal, Blaise Pascal Concupiscible has Latin roots in concupiscere, "to be desirous of." Read the full entry | See synonyms | Comment on today's word | Suggest tomorrow's word Yesterday's word | Previous words | Help
Words of the Day? How about words of timeless wisdom? Introducing our Quotes channel! "Life itself is a quotation." - Jorge Luis Borges Check out the Quote of the Day ››
"Grande," "Venti," now "Trenta." What do Starbucks sizes literally mean? When you reflect on all the symbols, gestures, and phrases that bombard your everyday existence, you may find a menagerie of simple words that are missing a definition. Case in point: How many times have you or a friend said "I'd like a Venti latte" without pausing to consider what Venti actually means? The inspiration for... Read more ››
Dictionary.com Word of the Day http://www.dictionary.com/wordoftheday/ You are currently subscribed to Dictionary.com Word of the Day as: anujshailgupt@gmail.com Unsubscribe To subscribe to Word of the Day by email, please send a blank message to: join-wordoftheday@lists.lexico.com ©2011 by Dictionary.com, LLC. 555 12th Street Suite 500 Oakland CA 94607 Subscriptions to The Word of the Day can be turned on and off via the Web at http://www.dictionary.com/help/faq/wordoftheday/   Tell a friend about The Word of the Day!

offal: Dictionary.com Word of the Day

Attention, BlackBerry smartphone users! Looking for a power word to use in your presentation? Get our new app designed especially for you
Word of the Day for Monday, January 17, 2011 offal \AW-fuhl\, noun: 1. The edible internal parts of an animal, such as the heart, liver, and tongue. 2. Dead or decomposing organic matter. 3. Refuse; rubbish. My father's fee for killing a pig was, I believe, half-a-crown, plus the offal. -- Ralph Whitlock, The folklore of Wiltshire Younger generations developed an aversion to their grandpa's "chocolate," and some households began serving two separate dinners, one with offal for the elders and another offal-free for the youngsters. -- Stewart Lee Allen, In the Devil's Garden: A Sinful History of Forbidden Food Offal is a combination of off and fall, referring to parts fallen or cut off. Read the full entry | See synonyms | Comment on today's word | Suggest tomorrow's word Yesterday's word | Previous words | Help
Words of the Day? How about words of timeless wisdom? Introducing our Quotes channel! "Life itself is a quotation." - Jorge Luis Borges Check out the Quote of the Day ››
What can we learn from the meaning behind Martin Luther King, Jr.'s name? Plus, what was his original name? (Not "Martin" or "Luther.") Michael King, Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. You read that correctly - Martin Luther King, Jr. was originally named after his father, Michael King, Sr. It wasn't until 1935 that the Reverend Martin Luther King , Sr., inspired by the 16th century Augustinian monk and theologian, Martin Luther, proclaimed to... Read more ››
Dictionary.com Word of the Day http://www.dictionary.com/wordoftheday/ You are currently subscribed to Dictionary.com Word of the Day as: anujshailgupt@gmail.com Unsubscribe To subscribe to Word of the Day by email, please send a blank message to: join-wordoftheday@lists.lexico.com ©2011 by Dictionary.com, LLC. 555 12th Street Suite 500 Oakland CA 94607 Subscriptions to The Word of the Day can be turned on and off via the Web at http://www.dictionary.com/help/faq/wordoftheday/   Tell a friend about The Word of the Day!

spirituel: Dictionary.com Word of the Day

Earn your Word Nerd Badge Get the Official Dictionary.com Toolbar
Word of the Day for Sunday, January 16, 2011 spirituel \spir-i-choo-EL\, adjective: 1. Showing or having a refined and graceful mind or wit. 2. Light and airy in movement; ethereal. Some said, yes, and that the youth was really gifted and spirituel, with a vein of quiet, caustic humor, most amusing; others - and I half incline to this notion - pronounced him dull and uninteresting. -- Charles James Lever, The Bramleighs of Bishop's Folly This woman had rather a bulky head, a long face, a snub-nose, high cheek-bones, a keen, bright eye, a large mouth, about which played a smile, at the same time spiritual, imperious, and contemptuous. -- Victor Cherbuliez, Samuel Brohl & Company Spirituel enters English from the French word for spiritual, but takes up a distinct yet related meaning to its English sibling. Read the full entry | See synonyms | Comment on today's word | Suggest tomorrow's word Yesterday's word | Previous words | Help
Words of the Day? How about words of timeless wisdom? Introducing our Quotes channel! "Life itself is a quotation." - Jorge Luis Borges Check out the Quote of the Day ››
"Sir" and "madam" are shorter versions of what older, fancier terms? Let's say you want to get the attention of a male clerk in the produce section of the grocery store. Would you say, "Excuse me sire, but could you please explain the difference between a yam and a sweet potato?"  (For the answer to that question, read this.) Addressing a stranger as "sire" might raise an eyebrow.... Read more ››
Dictionary.com Word of the Day http://www.dictionary.com/wordoftheday/ You are currently subscribed to Dictionary.com Word of the Day as: anujshailgupt@gmail.com Unsubscribe To subscribe to Word of the Day by email, please send a blank message to: join-wordoftheday@lists.lexico.com ©2011 by Dictionary.com, LLC. 555 12th Street Suite 500 Oakland CA 94607 Subscriptions to The Word of the Day can be turned on and off via the Web at http://www.dictionary.com/help/faq/wordoftheday/   Tell a friend about The Word of the Day!

felicitate: Dictionary.com Word of the Day

Word of the Day for Saturday, January 15, 2011 felicitate \fi-LIS-i-teyt\, verb: 1. To compliment upon a happy event; congratulate. 2. Archaic: To make happy. I make an execrable attempt to felicitate him on his good fortune, when he of a sudden, goes off in a roar that makes the bench tremble. -- Charles Dickens, Household words, Volume 17 Nobles and officers had come to felicitate him; he had shaken a number of hands and spent all the smiles he had left. -- Louis de Wohl, The Last Crusader Felicitate stems from the Latin felicitare, "to make happy." Read the full entry | See synonyms | Comment on today's word | Suggest tomorrow's word Yesterday's word | Previous words | Help
Words of the Day? How about words of timeless wisdom? Introducing our Quotes channel! "Life itself is a quotation." - Jorge Luis Borges Check out the Quote of the Day ››
How did the Yellow, Red and Black Seas get their names? And what is the fourth sea named after a color? The Yellow Sea, situated between China and the Korean Peninsula, has been in the news lately due to the tensions between North and South Korea. Several major Chinese rivers that contain golden-hued silt empty into the sea. This silt alters the color of the water. (What are North and South Korea's real names? Read about that... Read more ››
Dictionary.com Word of the Day http://www.dictionary.com/wordoftheday/ You are currently subscribed to Dictionary.com Word of the Day as: anujshailgupt@gmail.com Unsubscribe To subscribe to Word of the Day by email, please send a blank message to: join-wordoftheday@lists.lexico.com ©2011 by Dictionary.com, LLC. 555 12th Street Suite 500 Oakland CA 94607 Subscriptions to The Word of the Day can be turned on and off via the Web at http://www.dictionary.com/help/faq/wordoftheday/   Tell a friend about The Word of the Day!